


Never want to let go

by slowroad



Series: A forever love [5]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Era, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26156758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slowroad/pseuds/slowroad
Summary: Arthur looked at Merlin, his gaze direct. "I don't want to be drunk tonight," he said, as he flicked his eyes to Merlin's lips.Merlin blushed and nodded."How soon do you think you'll be able to get away?" He asked softly.Arthur's face curved into a soft smile. "Eager, are we?" He said, teasing."To get my hands on you? Very," Merlin said and it was Arthur's turn to blush."Soon," he said....This fic follows directly from the previous one in the series, so it might be best to read them in order.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: A forever love [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1887751
Comments: 2
Kudos: 112





	Never want to let go

**Author's Note:**

> These characters do not belong to me, I have only borrowed them for a while.

It was later that night. There was a feast to toast the champion. Merlin could tell that Arthur was not in the mood to be around a lot of people. He rarely was. Arthur was an intensely private person and he preferred his own company or the company of a few friends to lavish celebrations like this, particularly when they were in his honour. 

Merlin had noticed early on that Arthur was happiest by himself or with his knights in the training ground or on patrol or on a hunt, cooking and eating simple meals, sleeping under the stars...it was at these times that Arthur was most like himself. 

Merlin watched now as the prince stood next to his father listening to some noble or the other with a fixed smile on his face. This man had been talking to or rather at the prince for over twenty minutes now and Merlin thought that was quite enough. He reached for the man's mind and planted a gentle suggestion there, a suggestion that he might want to be somewhere else right now. The man blinked, excused himself and left. Arthur looked relieved. 

Merlin went over to him with a jug of wine in hand. He'd noticed that Arthur's goblet was empty. He was about to pour the wine when Arthur stopped him. 

"Sire?"

Arthur looked at Merlin, his gaze direct. "I don't want to be drunk tonight," he said, as he flicked his eyes to Merlin's lips.

Merlin blushed and nodded. 

"How soon do you think you'll be able to get away?" He asked softly. 

Arthur's face curved into a soft smile. "Eager, are we?" He said, teasing. 

"To get my hands on you? Very," Merlin said and it was Arthur's turn to blush. 

"Soon," he said. 

Merlin put the jug of wine on the table and stepped back to lean against the wall. He watched Arthur as he walked around the room, greeting various people, all the lords and ladies that he was required to be polite to. He watched as one young woman after another flirted with the prince. Arthur flirted back, but it was all very practiced.

He was simply going through the motions and not making any real effort to hide it, as most of the women realised soon enough. They backed away, looking disappointed. Merlin couldn't deny that it soothed his jealous heart to see Arthur so clearly disinterested in anyone else. 

Merlin had always thought of himself as an easy going man. He had a happy disposition and he didn't take things to heart or brood over them. He was capable of strong feelings, but he hadn't been prepared for the all consuming love that Arthur inspired in him, the absolute devotion and the readiness with which he risked his life every day. He had never thought that he could care this much about anyone. 

Arthur turned to look at him now. He had a hint of a smile on his face. He glanced at the door and back at Merlin and Merlin understood. He left the room and went up to Arthur's chambers. He laid out Arthur's night clothes and turned down the bed covers and sat down to wait.

He couldn't believe that Arthur wanted him, that the prince actually returned his feelings. He'd fallen for Arthur rather quickly and then he'd spent months fighting his feelings and telling himself that it was impossible, that Arthur would never want him. 

When Arthur kept risking his life for Merlin, when he'd followed him to Ealdor and when he'd drunk what they'd both believed to be poison in the labyrinth of Gedref, it began to dawn on Merlin that Arthur really did care for him, that he saw Merlin as a lot more than just his manservant. 

Merlin began to pay close attention to Arthur then, really watching him and thinking about the way they behaved around each other and he quickly realised a few things. Arthur was less guarded around Merlin than he was with anyone else. He didn't seem to like being apart from Merlin even if it was only for a few hours. Merlin didn't like that either.

Somewhere along the way, they'd taken to having their meals together and staying up late...talking. And Arthur was always touching him. Either to ruffle his hair or to squeeze his shoulder, to pat him on the back or to grab him in a quick half hug. And he had this way of smiling at Merlin, all soft, open and happy...

All of these things had led to Merlin making a small move to show his feelings that day. And here he was, sitting on Arthur's bed, waiting for him, so he could finally, finally pin his prince to the bed and ravish him...and be ravished in turn. 

He was still blushing at this thought when the door opened and Arthur walked in. He closed the door and drew the dead bolt. 

"Sorry. I got held up," he said, as he took off his crown.

"It's okay," Merlin said as he took the crown and put it away. 

He helped Arthur get out of his cloak and his jacket and put those away as well. Then he turned and found Arthur looking at him with the kind of intensity that made him shiver. He took off his own jacket and laid it on the chair. The he slowly undid his neckerchief and put that aside as well.

"Merlin..." Arthur said, with an edge of urgency and desperation in his voice. 

Merlin went to him, he put his hands on Arthur's shoulders, Arthur's hands came up around his waist, they were mere inches apart, both breathing a bit hard, looking at each other, want, desire, longing and so much love, threatening to overwhelm them as they felt the full weight of this moment. They hadn't said anything about it, but they both knew what this moment meant and they didn't need words to say or to understand that. 

They moved the last few inches and their lips touched, briefly, they moved back an inch, a breath and then their lips met again, a bit more pressure this time, they kissed, soft and chaste, just the gentle pressure of lips on lips. Neither of them was in a hurry to grab and take and possess. That was not what this was. This was about learning each other, cherishing this moment, this freedom to kiss and to touch that they had denied themselves for months. 

Arthur had fallen for Merlin really early too, but he'd held back because unlike other nobles, he'd made it a practice never to take a servant to his bed. It was unfair to the servant who by virtue of his or her position might feel unable to refuse him even if they wanted to. So he'd tried to fight his feelings for Merlin.

But then he realised a few things. Merlin was unlike other servants. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind and he treated Arthur with the kind of affectionate irreverence that made it clear that he saw Arthur more as his friend than as his superior in any way. That was nice. It was freeing and it let the prince feel like he could let his guard down around Merlin and just be himself. 

Once he did that, Merlin seemed to get more comfortable with showing his affection and given how many times Merlin had already risked his life for him, Arthur could have no doubt at all that Merlin cared deeply for him. But he would still not have acted if Merlin hadn't made it obvious that he wanted Arthur too. Giving him a favour to wear that morning had been a big hint. And Arthur had found it charming that Merlin had chosen to tell him what he wanted by offering a favour, using a gesture instead of words. 

Words were cheap, they could be said and not meant. If years at court had taught him anything, it was that. Actions meant more. And Merlin did so many little things every day that told Arthur that he cared for him, that Arthur's feelings, his happiness and his comfort mattered to him. And once the favour was offered, the prince could doubt no longer, he no longer saw any reason to hold back. 

So he tightened his grip on Merlin and pulled him flush against his body. Merlin let out a happy little moan and put his hands around Arthur's neck, one hand curling warmly around the nape of Arthur's neck and the other running gently through his hair. The kiss deepened, making Arthur feel like his heart was going to explode from joy for how good it felt, how right and perfect. He'd always thought that Merlin had really beautiful lips, he'd fantasised about kissing him like this, but he could never have imagined that it would feel this wonderful.

Merlin had imagined this moment too...many times, but even his best imaginings had not been close to how magical the actual experience of kissing Arthur was. His one thought as he clung to his prince and gave himself over to his demanding kisses was that he never wanted to let go. And he knew, without needing to be told that Arthur felt the same. 


End file.
